Taste-bud Journey: St. Patrick's Day Cracker vs Chip Recipe featuring Green Beans and Onions

During the pandemic, I am taking taste-bud journeys as I self-isolate rather than physical journeys. Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, here is my adapted recipe for Green Beans and Onions crackers plus chips. It was inspired by a video I watched on YouTube, included near end of blog, plus my idea to try to create either a cracker or chip recipe that features two of my favorite ingredients for a Green Bean Casserole: Green Beans and French Fried Onions.

Conclusion: The first recipe features a cracker that is similar to the texture of a well-done piece of toast that is crunchy on the outside and has that bit of give to it in the middle. Eating it as is made me wish I had added a bit more onion to the recipe; however, it was much more enjoyable when I spread some mashed-up avocado on top. Then, it transformed into a pretty good lunch or light dinner.

The next day, my imagination took off. I decided that this time, I would add some extra ingredients plus spread it out even thinner on the tray to transform it into a tasty and crunchy chip. This is a recipe that I will most definitely make again as I found the results to be quite addictive. I think I ate about 20 chips by the time I finished, LOL!, taste-testing this recipe. Plus, it is filled with protein and fiber and other nutritious elements. So, supposedly, that makes this a guilt-free recipe to eat and enjoy! I think kids might really enjoy eating this, as well! I know that this 'big-kid' sure did! LOL!

 

Crackers Recipe

• Either frozen (thawed) green beans or 1 can of green beans
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 tbsp ground flax
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 cup water (Please note: If you used canned green beans, use the liquid from the can. It usually contains about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of liquid.)
• 1/4 cup sunflower oil
• 1 tbsp hemp powder
• 1/4 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup raw unsalted pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 plus 1/4 tsp sea salt (The 1/4 tsp of sea salt is to sprinkle on batter just prior to placing the pan into the oven. This will give an extra boost to your taste buds as you eat the crackers.)
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Chips Recipe

• Either frozen (thawed) green beans or 1 can of green beans
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 tbsp ground flax
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 3/4 cup water (Please note: If you used canned green beans, use the liquid from the can. It usually contains about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of liquid.)
• 1/4 cup sunflower oil
• 1 tbsp hemp powder
• 1 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1 cup raw unsalted pumpkin seeds
• 1 tsp plus 1/4 tsp sea salt (The 1/4 tsp of sea salt is to sprinkle on batter just prior to placing the pan into the oven. This will give an extra boost to your taste buds as you eat the chips.)
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 3 tbsp onion flakes
• 1 tsp dried chives
• 2 tsp dried celery flakes
• 2 tbsp dried parsley flakes

Please note: You could certainly use the same seasonings from the chips in the crackers or add other spices you particularly like. The main two elements that transforms one recipe into a cracker and the other recipe into a chip is the amount of flour (1 cup vs 1/2 cup) used and how thickly or thinly (1/4 inch vs 1/8 inch) you spread the batter.

Please also note: If I decide to make the crackers again, I intend to mimic the chips recipe exactly with the increased amount of raw onions, spices, and seeds as I think that would make the crackers even tastier.

   

Procedure

• Step 1: If you use frozen green beans, allow them to thaw. If you use canned green beans, reserve the liquid from the can. This will likely make about 3/4 of a cup of liquid.

• Step 2: You can certainly use a raw onion, but then you will need to peel and chop it up. I used frozen pre-peeled and pre-chopped onions that I allowed to thaw for a few minutes. O

1. If you are making the crackers, you only need 1 cup of chopped onions; however, you could use more than one cup if you want the crackers to have a more overt-onion taste.
2. If you are making the chips, you need 2 cups of chopped onions.
3. Once the green beans and onions have thawed, preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Step 3: In a food processor, grind up the green beans and the onions. Use the canned green beans liquid or water, if necessary, to help lubricate the vegetables. They should be ground to the point that you now have a thick green batter. This will make about 2 cups of batter. Pour this batter into a medium-size bowl.

• Step 4: Stir in your seasonings: 1 teaspoon of sea salt, chives, celery flakes, dried chives, hemp powder, and dried parsley, 

• Step 5: Stir in the whole wheat flour.

1. If you are making the crackers, use 1 cup of flour.
2. If you are making the chips, use 1/2 cup of flour.

• Step 6: Stir in the cooking oil. (FYI - I used sunflower oil. You certainly could use a different type. I just figured that since I was adding sunflower seeds, sunflower oil would make a nice addition.)

• Step 7: Stir in the chia seeds and ground flax. (FYI - Both of those ingredients not only add extra nourishment to this recipe, they act as a binder to help the batter gel together.)

• Step 8: Stir in sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds. Stir batter into thoroughly mixed.

• Step 9: Place a silicone mat on one cookie tray (if you are making the crackers) or two cookie trays (if you are making the chips). Lightly grease the mat to insure that the crackers or chips won't adhere to the mat. (FYI - You could either spray the mats or pour a small amount of liquid onto the mat and use a folded-up piece of wax paper to spread the cooking oil all around. I used coconut oil, but you could use whatever type cooking oil you prefer.)

• Step 10: If you are making the crackers, pour the batter onto the center of the mat. If you are making the chips, pour half of the batter onto each cookie tray. Then carefully spread the batter out.

1. For the crackers, batter should be about 1/4-inch thick.
2. For the chips, batter should be about 1/8-inch thick.
3. Try to make certain there are no holes in the batter as you are spreading it out with a spoon or spatula.
4. Use a spatula to square off the edges of the batter all the way around the rectangle.
5. If you are making the crackers, you could also use the spatula to score the crackers into the size you wish them to be.
6. If you are making the chips, wait until they have had about 25 minutes to bake before scoring them with a sharp-edged flat spatula.

• Step 11: Sprinkle a light layer of sea salt on the crackers or chips before placing the tray or trays into the oven.


• Step 12: The crackers or chips will take at least an hour of cooking time. After scoring them, check them about every 20 minutes. Also, trade the tray on the top rack for the bottom rack and vice versa if you have more than one tray baking. As any chips or crackers are done to your desired-level of crispiness, scoop those off the pan to cool. Keep up this process until all of them have completed baking. 

1. Please note: If there are a few that are not quite crispy enough to suit you, turn off the oven, but keep the tray with those remaining crackers or chips in the oven for up to 30 minutes until they, too, are a crispy as you desire.

 

This is the video that opened my imagination to what is possible when making a veggie chip or cracker. I think Jill McKeever is so cute and fun to watch and listen to! I adore her enthusiasm! This will open in a new window.

Cooking Sites that have inspired me:

• Gemma's Bigger Bolding Baking website that includes over 100 great cooking videos.

• All Recipes Website that includes all kinds of sweet and savory recipes.

Books written by Debbie Dunn:

Here is the Amazon Link to all anti-bullying curriculum books plus all children’s books written by Debbie Dunn (both paperback and Kindle). It will open up in a new window.

• Author’s Page on Amazon.com